To Have and To Hold
by AlternativeRocker
Summary: Robbie is engaged to someone else. He persuades Jackie to be bridesmaid. The wedding is in 5 weeks and Jackie only has that long to get to know the woman and understand her own feelings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Woo for my 20th fic. This one has been in my thoughts for months but only just decided to write it out, and it was much simpler than some of my other fics have been.  
**Disclaimer:** Own Allie Lockhart in this but that is it. You might start to like her more in the next chapter but maybe not.  
**Spoilers:** None that I can see or think of.

* * *

Robbie practically bounded into the office on this particular morning and when he arrived he made sure he had a huge grin on his face and stood behind his desk looking over at Jackie.

"I'm getting married." Jackie didn't even look up from her computer screen as she said, "Oh congratulations."

"You could sound a little more enthusiastic; you are chief bridesmaid after all."

"I'm the _what_?!" She stared disbelievingly at him while Matt came out of his room to see what all the commotion was about.

"Well I explained to Allie how I have and will always need you in my life and she, like you, only has male friends so we agreed on you taking this role."

"When is this wedding?" She was hoping that she would have some time to come round to the idea of this.

"28th April."

"April next year?"

"No, April 28th: 5 weeks away."

"So wait, I have 5 weeks to meet and get to know this girl, help plan the wedding and work out who my date can be?!" It could only have been Robbie that had made the date so soon.

"Yes. You could meet Allie tonight if you wish." He reached into his trouser pocket and called her, ignoring Matt's commands to go and do some work.

"Hey Allie love. Can you come to the King's Arms after you finish work. Our lovely bridesmaid wants to discuss what to do if a guy invites her back to his place after the wed-OUCH," as a chocolate bar hit him on the forehead. "I'm sorry. She's actually wondering what shade of pink her big, puffy dress is going to be." He ended the call whilst narrowly avoiding another chocolate bar aimed at him.

"Are you trying to lose weight or do you want this office to look messy with chocolate wrappers?"

"It's messy whenever you're in it Robbie."

Later when Jackie and Stuart were left alone in the office Stuart wandered over to her,

"So what do you think about Robbie's wedding?"

"I think that it's another one of his stupid ideas that won't happen."

"He's serious about this, you know."

"Stuart think about it, how long has it been since he was madly in love with some other girl? This will only last another week or so before he moves on to the next one."

"Be careful with your beliefs Jackie. What if he does go through with it?"

"Then I wish his fiancée the best of luck because I predict he'll cheat on her within the first month." Stuart raised his eyebrows and went back to his desk. He would tell Robbie all this when he got back.

Jackie felt sorry for the girl. She wouldn't know what had hit her if Robbie was unfaithful and she knew that she would stick up for the girl but also it would be her own fault for rushing into the marriage.

*******

At the pub after work Robbie and Jackie were sitting at a table in the corner when a woman who was about the same height as Robbie and the same age as Jackie came in and wrapped her arms around Robbie's neck. She had short, dark red hair and was completely not what Jackie had expected from someone who was marrying her Robbie. She shook her head; he was not _her _Robbie, he was just Robbie. The woman was slim and was wearing a simple black shirt and dark jeans. Jackie could remember a previous conversation in which Robbie had mentioned that Allie worked in a jewellers in the centre of town.

She noticed Jackie was there and extended out her hand,

"Hi, Allie Lockhart, there's no doubting that you're Jackie; Robbie described you perfectly."

"He did?!"

"Did you think he would make you out to be completely different."

"Yes, he has done so in the past."

"I know the feeling," as she sat down and told Robbie what drink she wanted. It was strange because Robbie knew exactly what drink Jackie would want, depending on her mood, but he didn't know his own fiancée's preferences.

"How long have you known our Robbie then?"

"Years. Longer than you actually." That surprised Jackie, Robbie had never mentioned that he and Allie had history and she didn't think that Robbie would get engaged to someone he's known for ages. Which also meant that Allie knew that infidelty was Robbie's strong point, so what was she playing at?

"And it's took him this long to get you?"

"Yeah but I'm not the only one am I?" So either Robbie had told Allie that he had never dated Jackie or Allie had guessed. Jackie was hoping against all hope that it was the second option.

When Robbie came back with the drinks he sat down. If an innocent bystander had been watching then they might have mistaken Robbie and Jackie for the engaged couple because they were messing around together, whilst Allie just sat with a small smile playing on her lips as she watched the other two.

This was going to be five weeks to remember, for better or for worse.

**To Be Continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As most of you know -Helen more than most- I gave up on trying to write more for this after the first chapter. It's worse than what I felt towards In A Hospital so because of this I'm going to skip straight to the end. This was the fic that I had been looking forward to most but something went wrong and I don't like it now "/ I apologize again but don't kill me (or beat me with a twig)! This is also a treat because it's Blythe Duff's birthday today and my one-shot isn't quite finished :P**

**Disclaimer: Only own this suckish brain and Allie.**

*******

Over the past four weeks Jackie had been desperately trying to work out why she was feeling so anxious about the upcoming wedding. She had tried to be as supportive as she could towards Allie but there was always something at the back of her mind that told her to stop and run away. She was also positive that Allie didn't feel as strongly as she should the week before the wedding; she seemed more anxious about how Jackie was feeling all of the time. Then it hit her. In one second she realised what was wrong. She couldn't let this happen because she loved him. She loved him more than words could ever describe.

She went to her bedroom and saw the dress for the wedding. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked at the pink monstrosity. Why did it always take her so long to figure out feelings towards people; she thought she had been in love with Brian but that idea just made her laugh; she had loved Michael but not in a non-platonic way; but Robbie. Robbie was what she wanted now, all to herself, no Allie, just him and herself.

*******

She couldn't bear this any longer so she slowly drove over to Robbie's house, knowing that Allie would be at work. She walked up to the front door and knocked on it, surprised at how little noise came out though she was determined to tell him.

He opened the door and grinned when he saw it was Jackie. The grin disappeared when he saw the look in her eyes that something wasn't right.

"Hey Jackie, what's wrong?"

She looked him in the eye and quietly said, "Don't get married to Allie."

"Why not Jackie?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wishing more than anything that she hadn't worked out that she loved him, "Because...Because I'm in love with you whilst Allie only loves you."

Robbie had to bite his bottom lip to stop him from smiling, "Jackie, what was the name of my closest childhood friend?"

"I can't remember," She sighed and thought back to all their conversations about growing up, "Alicia or something like that."

"Yeah and do you not see any familiarity between the names Allie and Alicia?"

"So you're getting married to your best friend, what's so wrong about that?"

"Do you not recall me saying that Alicia and I were like siblings and that nothing could happen because she was a lesbian?"

"Robbie what are you trying to say?"

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "And they call you the smart one," then raised his voice, "This engagement was only a trick to make you realise that you love me. Allie has always known how much I've always loved you, so when I came up with this plan she jumped at the chance to pull us together."

"Well why did you make me feel so rubbish with all the stupid bridesmaid duties?!"

"I was seeing how far I could push you before you finally confessed your feelings." She shook her head in disbelief, "Robbie what would have happened if I hadn't told you I loved you by vow time?"

"We wouldn't even have started the wedding; it was set up for you and me to get together."

"Did Stuart know about this?" She didn't want the whole world to know that this had all been a trick.

"Yeah, he fine-tuned all our plans and told us when you started to feel as though you couldn't be the bridesmaid."

"Why didn't you just ask me to go out with you in the first place?"

"You would have laughed it away and said no. I had to make you sure of your own feelings before I said anything."

"Good point." He gently stroked her cheek while wrapping the other arm around her, securing her body to him. She tilted her head back as he lowered his down, allowing their lips to meet.

*******

Robbie and Jackie were late for meeting Stuart and Allie at the pub because off Robbie's obsession with finding his favourite parts of her.

"Allie I'm afraid the wedding's off."

"Has she finally realised?"

"Yes she most certainly has," as he kissed her hair with his arm around her waist.

Stuart was the first to say something after both of them staring at Jackie because neither had ever been sure that she would notice her own feelings, "Congratulations both of you!"

"Don't say anything to me Stuart. You were one of the biggest contributors to this!" She smiled to let him know she was only joking and unwound herself from Robbie's embrace and hugged both Stuart and Allie.

"So do you prefer Allie or Alicia?"

"Allie, thanks. Only Robbie ever called me Alicia when we were younger; the annoying prick that he is. Good luck with spending every waking moment with him!"

Robbie stuck his tongue out at his friend while Jackie just said, "I'm looking forward to it." She looked up at her new boyfriend and kissed him. When she broke it off he whispered the words that she would never tire of, "I love you."

"By the way if we ever get married no one will be allowed to wear anything pink, I think I have saw enough of that colour to last me a lifetime."

"Darn, that was what I wanted the theme to be!" They grinned at each other and kissed again, Allie and Stuart just looked at them with matching expressions of their faces. They were all so glad Jackie had finally admitted her feelings, even if it wasn't the greatest timing. Robbie and Jackie, in the safety of their own brains, knew that they would be together until death parted them and they didn't have to tell the other because they already knew how they felt.

**The End.**


End file.
